Frederic Vasseur’s ‘Guinea Pig’ Masterplan Bites Dust as Disappointments Pile High: “Difficult to Carry Out”

If you are a fan of Ferrari, you might be feeling frustrated right now. The Scuderia has been struggling to keep up with the pace of Red Bull and Mercedes this season. Their disappeared form & pace did not improve, even with their latest upgrades as things went south in Barcelona. While they were hoping to make some progress in the Canadian Grand Prix, a bizarre incident in the FP1 session dashed their hopes of getting some valuable track time.

Looking to end its championship drought for the past 15 years, team principal Frederic Vasseur had sparked hopes among the Tifosi with his ambitious plans. Yet, as the disappointments pile up, Vasseur’s master plan seems to be facing significant hurdles. Let’s delve into the challenges Ferrari is grappling with and explore Vasseur’s efforts to turn the team’s fortunes around.

The anticipation was high as the single-seaters geared up for the first free practice session in Montreal. Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, the session turned out to be a disappointment. A malfunction in the circuit’s CCTV system caused further delays, preventing the cars from returning to the track after a red flag. This setback affected all teams, leaving them unable to experiment with the dry track conditions they had anticipated.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur was not happy with the situation, but he tried to look at the bright side. According to Formula Passion, he told Sky Sports F1: “It’s the same for everyone – in the past it has already happened that there were wet sessions. It’s a shame because we didn’t get the program we expected. But the same goes for everyone. We will have to reset for this afternoon.”

Vasseur aimed to test the Ferrari SF-23 upgrades during their visit to Canada, perhaps picking the track as a guinea pig test. Ferrari had planned to do some long stints in FP1, to improve their race pace and consistency. They also wanted to try all the tyre compounds, to find the best balance for their SF-23 car. But they had to postpone their plans to FP2.

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Despite the mounting pressure, many have hailed Vasseur to be Ferrari’s leader in these chaotic times. So, even with such setbacks, the Frenchman would figure something out for the Scuderia.

Can Ferrari come back strong after a Disrupted Start in Canada?

One of the main issues for Ferrari has been their lack of speed on the straights, which has cost them dearly in some circuits. Montreal is one of the circuits they would dread with its long straights. So the Scuderia will need to find a balance in their car setup if they hope for any sort of a good result.

Frederic Vasseur seeks reinforcements and time to improve Ferrari’s performance, as changes to the SF23 car have fallen short. Heading to Canada, Vasseur aims to extract more speed. He plans to ride on the success story of other strong contenders, even if the task at hand is ‘difficult to carry out’, in his own words.

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Miracles do happen in Formula 1 and thus, Ferrari is not giving up to pounce on any opportunities. As Frederic Vasseur said: “We need to focus on the future and not the past.” Maybe Montreal will be the place where Ferrari will surprise everyone and show their true potential.